Chris James is the President and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, the largest business development and technical assistance training organization in the country for Indigenous businesses. Prior to joining The National Center in 2017, Chris held senior positions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration. He grew up in Cherokee, North Carolina, where his family owned businesses on the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Yvette Fielder is an experienced business, economic and workforce development professional brining strategic planning, leadership, and training to develop a broad range of business skills to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and tribal leaders with a proven track record of building strong relationships with tribal communities and enterprises. As a Program Director Yvette oversees the Native Edge Institutes which are NCAIED’s training and educational platform. Yvette is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation, and descendant of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, her clan is the Midibahdi which in the Hidatsa language means Waterbuster. Yvette graduated with honors from The University of Phoenix with her Master’s in Public Administration and her Bachelor’s in Management with a minor in Business. Yvette also completed a certificate business program with The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Mikaela Garcia is a member of the Sand Clan in the village of Kykotsmovi, located on the Hopi Tribe in Northern Arizona. She has worked in the media world for over eight years as a filmmaker, producer, and social media specialist. Her first project in 2017 documented Pee-Posh O’odham community member Royce Manuel, who gathered materials year-round to create traditional bows and arrows — a film made to preserve and share his knowledge within his community.

Since 2017, Mikaela has collaborated with more than a dozen Indigenous organizations, creating educational materials, documentaries, commercials, and other multimedia projects that highlight Indigenous stories and perspectives. She continues her work as the Digital Media Coordinator for The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, where she's able to provide free marketing to up and coming entrepreneurs.